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In Revelation 5:5-10 we see that we may experience and enjoy Christ as the Lion-Lamb. From Revelation 5:1 through 6:1, we see the vision of Him as the Lion-Lamb in the midst of God’s throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the twenty-four elders of the universe, opening the seven seals of God’s universal administration. In Revelation 5 one of the elders introduced Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, but when John turned to see Him, he saw a Lamb (vv. 5-6). To the enemy, He is the Lion; to us, the redeemed ones, He is the dear, precious Lamb. Christ is the Lamb accomplishing God’s redemption and the Lion fighting for God’s kingdom. For God’s redemption, He is a Lamb; for God’s kingdom, He is a fighting Lion, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He fought to redeem us, and He won the battle over the enemy and accomplished redemption for us.
In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God” (1:29), but in Revelation one of the elders said, “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (5:5). In the Gospel of John we see that Christ came in the flesh as the Lamb of God mainly to take away the sin of the world, but in Revelation we see that Christ is the Lion-Lamb not only to take away sin but also to overcome and defeat His enemies.
Christ is both the Lion and the Lamb because we have two main problems — sin and Satan. Most Christians pay attention only to the problem of sin but neglect that of Satan. Just as the Lamb is versus sin and solves the problem of sin, the Lion is versus Satan and deals with Satan. As the Lamb, Christ has accomplished redemption, having cleansed us from our sins. As the Lion, He has dealt with Satan. He is adequate to meet our needs and to solve our problems. Now sin is over, Satan has been terminated, and we have been redeemed and rescued from the usurping hand of the enemy.
The Lion is not the same as the Lamb. Is our Christ today the Lamb or the Lion? If we love the Lord, He is the Lamb to us, but to those who do not love Him, He is the Lion. He is the Lamb to us and the Lion to the enemy, the world, and the sinful things. Since we do love Him and He is the Lamb to us, why must He also be a Lion? This is because there are still many negative things in us. He died on the cross as the Lamb of God to redeem us, but even after being redeemed, we are still mixed with many negative things. Therefore, He must also be the Lion to deal with these things.
Eventually, our experience and enjoyment of Christ as the Lion-Lamb is related to the New Jerusalem, the goal of God’s eternal economy. In the New Jerusalem there are not only the flowing Triune God, the Spirit, as the river of water of life but also the tree of life in the river (22:1-2). The tree of life with its fresh and rich supply is the Lion-Lamb. This Lion-Lamb as our tree of life has fresh fruits to be our supply. In this way the New Jerusalem is sustained. This indicates that we receive His fresh and rich supply and consummate the New Jerusalem by drinking the Spirit and eating Christ. We need to daily drink the flowing God, the Spirit, as our river of water of life, and we need to eat the overcoming Lion-Lamb as the tree of life to be our fresh and rich supply.
Revelation 5:5 speaks of Christ as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” The lion is a symbol of Christ, portraying Him as a strong fighter against the enemy, as prophesied in Genesis 49:8-9. Christ’s overcoming qualifies Him to open the scroll and its seven seals.
The book of Revelation is a picture of Jesus Christ. The twenty-two chapters of this book are a single portrait, a “painting” portraying and depicting Jesus. However, if a painting portrays only the main subject without a background or environment, we may think that the artist is not very skillful. A good painter creates a picture full of meaning. The twenty-two chapters of Revelation are a good painting of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, but they also show an environment. Besides the Lion, there are beasts with horns and even a dragon (13:1-2, 11; 12:3). When John saw the situation in heaven, he wept, but when the Lion of the tribe of Judah came, there was great rejoicing (5:3-4, 8-14). Eventually, the Lion as the Lamb marries a bride, the bride becomes a square city, and the Lamb sits on the throne with God (19:7; 21:16; 22:1). The Lion is enthroned in the center of the New Jerusalem as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Then out of this throne flows a river of water of life, bright as crystal, and in the river the tree of life is growing. This is the “painting” of the divine Lion in the book of Revelation, the revelation of Jesus Christ.
In the book of Revelation we should see only one figure, Jesus Christ, because this book is the revelation and unveiling of Jesus Christ. The main figure in the book of Revelation is Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (5:5). If in Revelation we see all the other items but not this Lion, we will certainly miss the mark. In a very real sense, we must turn our eyes away from the frogs, the beasts, the locusts, the dragon, and the serpent; instead, we must turn our eyes upon this Lion. Revelation is the revelation, the unveiling, of this Lion. All the smaller items mentioned in Revelation are the background and environment of the main picture, which is Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Nothing and no one — including the serpent, the frogs, and the locusts — can defeat this Lion. To us, the Lion is the redeeming Lamb, but to the enemy, the Lamb is the overcoming Lion. Moreover, He is fully expressed in the lampstands (ch. 1), the great multitude of the redeemed (ch. 7), the bright woman with her man-child (ch. 12), the harvest with its firstfruits (ch. 14), the overcomers on the sea of glass (ch. 15), the bride ready for marriage (ch. 19), the armies (ch. 19), and the New Jerusalem (chs. 21 — 22).
Christ is the Lion-Lamb in His ascension. In the scene in the heavens after Christ’s ascension, Christ is revealed mainly as the Lion, not as the Lamb. While John was weeping because “no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it” (5:4), one of the elders said to him, “Do not weep; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals” (v. 5). Before the crucifixion, there might have been reason for John to weep. But it was foolish for him to weep after the ascension. Are you weeping today? If you are still weeping, it means that you have not seen the vision of the ascended Christ in Revelation 5. We need to behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Genesis 49:8-9 prophesies concerning Christ as the Lion of Judah, but only in Revelation are we told that Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The title the Lion of the tribe of Judah signifies Christ as the triumphant King. All living creatures are under Him. None can subdue Him; rather, He subdues everything.
In Genesis 49:8-12, which records Jacob’s blessing concerning Judah, there is a prophecy that Christ would come from the tribe of Judah to be a lion in order to defeat God’s enemy. In his prophecy Jacob likened Judah to a lion in three aspects: a young lion, a couching lion, and a lioness. Here Christ is typified as a young lion conquering the enemies, a satisfied lion, and a lioness resting in conquest.
Verse 9 says, “Judah is a young lion; / From the prey, my son, you have gone up,” and verse 8 says, “Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies.” Here Judah, likened poetically to a young lion, is a type of Christ as the ultimate Overcomer, the fighting, victorious Lion. The young lion in his freshness and strength is for fighting, for seizing the prey. The expression you have gone up implies that the young lion first had to come down from the mountain to the plain to capture his prey. When a lion goes after some prey, he descends from his dwelling place on the mountain, and after he takes the prey, he brings it up the mountain with him to devour it.
This is a picture of the victory of Christ over His enemies in His crucifixion (Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14). Christ was first the young lion crouching as He waited for His prey. When Christ was crucified on the cross, He was a young lion seizing the prey. The prey He seized on the cross includes the entire world, all the sinners, and even Satan, the serpent. After seizing His prey, He brought His captive to the mountaintop, that is, to the third heaven. This means that from His victory Christ has ascended to the heavens. Ephesians 4:8 says that when Christ ascended to the height, “He led captive those taken captive.” In His ascension Christ led a train of vanquished foes. This train of vanquished foes was Christ’s prey. Christ gained the victory, and He put His hand upon Satan’s neck. We need to praise the Lord that He has put His hand upon the neck of His enemies. As the young lion, He has overcome all His enemies. Many chapters in the New Testament reveal how Christ came as a young lion, how He went to the cross to seize His prey, and how He ascended to the mountaintop in the third heaven.
Genesis 49:9 goes on to say, “He couches, he stretches out like a lion.” Christ is also a couching lion, who rests in satisfaction after enjoying His prey. After a lion has enjoyed his prey and has been satisfied, he couches; he lies down to rest in satisfaction. The figure of the couching lion in verse 9 describes Christ as the One enjoying His rest in the heavens. This portrays Christ in the heavens who enjoys what He has accomplished. After gaining the victory and enjoying the prey, He was satisfied. Thus, He is now resting in the heavens in His satisfaction. This rest and satisfaction are the issue of Christ’s victory. Therefore, Christ is now sitting on the throne in the heavens. According to the poetry of Genesis 49:9, after devouring His prey, Christ was satisfied and couched to enjoy His rest.
We need to see and experience Christ not only as a young lion but also as a couching lion who lies down to rest. We may be troubled by many kinds of enemies — our temper, our problems, and our weaknesses — but we need to see that our enemies have already become a prey to our Christ. He went to the cross and captured them, and in resurrection He led a train of vanquished foes to the heavens for His enjoyment. Now in the heavens He is no longer fighting; He is couching. He is lying down to rest, and we are experiencing Him as a resting lion. He is couching, and we also are resting. We need not be troubled by anything; instead, we simply need to enjoy this victorious, satisfied, and resting Christ.
According to Revelation 5:5, the Lion of the tribe of Judah “has overcome.” This verse does not say that our Christ will overcome; it says that He has already overcome. He has captured the prey and swallowed him. All the enemies have been devoured by Christ. Today Christ is not the fighting One; He is a couching One, the resting One sitting in the heavens. If we see this, we will forget our enemies, our temper, and the troubles caused by others, and we will say, “Lord, I worship You and praise You! Lord, You were the young, fighting lion. But today You are resting in the heavens as the victorious lion. And now I am partaking of all that You have done.”
In Genesis 49:9 Christ is also likened to a lioness. A lioness, a female lion, is for producing baby lions. Christ is not only the fighting lion and the resting lion but also the producing lioness who brought forth many overcomers as His “lion cubs.” Christ is our mother lion, and we are His lion cubs. We need to see that we have been made lion cubs. When the enemy troubles us, we should realize that we are baby lions. Today, not only is Christ the Lion; we also are lions.
In a very real sense, the church is lion country, and everyone in the church is a baby lion. If we see the situation from God’s viewpoint, we will realize that in the eyes of God the church is a country of lions. Toward men we are lambs following the Lamb, but toward Satan we are lion cubs. Although we may not have such a realization, Satan recognizes this fact. He knows that all the believers are lion cubs. Frequently we need to tell Satan, “Satan, don’t touch me. Don’t you know that my family is the lion family?” Christ is the young lion, the couching lion, and the reproducing lioness; we are His lion cubs. This is the full victory of Christ. This is why Genesis 49:8 says that Christ, typified by Judah, is to be praised and worshipped.
The last part of Genesis 49:9 says of Judah, “Who will rouse him up?” This means, “Who dares to rouse him?” or “Who dares to defy Him?” That no one dares to rouse Judah up signifies that Christ’s terrifying power in His resurrection and ascension has subdued everything (Matt. 28:18; Phil. 2:9; Eph. 1:21-22).
People often consider that the Lord Jesus was gentle and mild. However, at least on certain occasions He was not at all gentle. For example, when He went into the temple and found “those selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers sitting there,” He became angry and made a whip out of cords and “drove them all out of the temple, as well as the sheep and the oxen, and He poured out the money of the moneychangers and overturned their tables” (John 2:14-15). Furthermore, in Matthew 23 He severely rebuked the religionists, saying to them, “Serpents! Brood of vipers!” (v. 33). In the Bible a lion signifies boldness, vigor, strength, and victory. In these situations He surely was as bold as a lion.
There are times in our Christian life when we also need to have the face of a lion. For example, some may invite us to participate with them in a certain kind of worldly amusement. At such a time we should behave like a lion. This means that toward anything sinful or worldly, we must be as bold as a lion. All our acquaintances should know that if they talk to us about worldly things, we will behave like a lion.
In the Bible a lion signifies not only boldness, vigor, strength, and victory but also reigning. The lion is the king of the animals. This means that we should be lions to reign for God (Rom. 5:17). If toward sin, the world, and Satan we are strong and bold like lions, God will be able to establish His reign through us.
Revelation 5:5 also speaks of Christ as “the Root of David.” The title Root of David (He is also the Root of David’s father, Jesse — Isa. 11:1, 10) signifies that Christ is the source of David. Therefore, David, His forefather, called Him “Lord” (Matt. 22:42-45). Christ is not only the seed, the offspring, and the descendant of David, who came out of David; He is also the Root of David, out from whom David came. In our concept, Christ was born of David; hence, He was a descendant of David. But Revelation 5:5 says that Christ is the Root of David, meaning that David grows out of Christ. The Bible also says that Christ is the Shoot of David (Jer. 23:5). Hence, He is both the Root and the Shoot.
While in Revelation 5 we see that Christ is the “Root of David,” in Isaiah 11:1 and 10 we see that Christ is also a sprout and branch of Jesse. This indicates that Christ is the source of Jesse and also the source of Jesse’s son David. Isaiah 11:10 says, “In that day the root of Jesse, / Who stands as a banner to the peoples — / Him will the nations seek.” Root denotes the source, the origin. The root of Jesse typifies Christ as the source, the origin, of Jesse. In the prophecies in Isaiah we see that Christ in His divinity is the Shoot of Jehovah and the root of Jesse; we also see that Christ in His humanity is the sprout coming forth from the stump of Jesse, the branch from the root of Jesse, the tender plant that grows, and the root out of dry ground (53:2). In His divinity Christ came out of God; therefore, God is His origin. Hence, Christ is the source, the origin, of Jesse. In His humanity Christ came out of Jesse; therefore, Jesse is His origin, His source. He is the sprout and branch of Jesse, and He is also the root of Jesse. He is everything concerning Jesse. According to His humanity, He came out of Jesse; according to His divinity, He brought forth Jesse.
Christ is both a descendant and the root of David. In the eyes of God, David was the unique person who fought the battle and gained authority, fighting the battle for God and gaining His full authority. That Christ, the Lion-Lamb, is the root of this person means that He is greater than David. This is why He holds the key of David (Rev. 3:7). Whatever David was, had, and did was altogether out of this root. Therefore, as the Root of David, Christ is more powerful and more victorious than David and has more of God’s divine authority.
In Matthew 22:41-46 Christ questioned the Pharisees in His wisdom. These verses say, “Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus questioned them, saying, What do you think concerning the Christ? Whose son is He? They said to Him, David’s. He said to them, How then does David in spirit call Him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies underneath Your feet’? If then David calls Him Lord, how is He his son? And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone from that day dare to question Him anymore.” On the one hand, Christ is the Son of David who came out of David, and on the other hand, He is the Lord of David, the Root of David out from whom David came. Christ is the wonderful One who is everything: He is the root, the branch, and the sprout. He is the Son, yet He is the source.
Christ’s response to the Pharisees in Matthew 22:43-45 muzzled the mouths of His opposers. Christ is not only the son of David, the Shoot of David (Jer. 23:5; 33:15), but also the Lord of David, the Root of David. As a descendant of David in His humanity, Christ is the Shoot of David, who issued out of David. But as the eternal God in His divinity, Christ is the Root of David, the source of David. Christ is also our redeeming Lamb in this present age. As such an all-inclusive One, He has overcome to open the scroll and its seven seals.
